Up to 25 Percent More Performance
No, it doesn’t have the new 64-bit extensions or 90-nanometer process technology, but Intel says its latest Xeon MP processor for 4-way and larger servers still packs up to 25 percent more punch than its predecessor: The 32-bit, 0.13-micron-process CPU boasts a 3.0GHz clock speed and hefty 4MB of on-chip Level 3 cache, in addition to 512K of Level 2 cache. Like all Xeon MPs, it has a 400MHz front-side bus.
Drop-in-compatible with existing data-center systems, the 3.0GHz Xeon MP is priced at $3,692 in 1,000-unit quantities; the company has also introduced new Xeon MP chips with 2MB L3 cache and clock speeds of 2.2GHz ($1,177) and 2.7GHz ($1,980). Intel says that system vendors are expected to offer more than 50 Xeon MP-based servers, ranging from four to 32 processors, this year and that 4-way and higher systems accounted for more than 56 percent of the total server market revenue in 2003.